“The History and Evolution of Mobra Motorbikes in Communist Romania”

Sunday, 07 May 2023, 21:50

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Mobra 50 motorbike, after almost 40 years PHOTO mobra.ro

In communist Romania, motorcycle enthusiasts had a choice between Mobra and the Carpathians. Mobra was built in five versions – Mobra 50, Mobra 50 Super, Mobra Turist, Mobra Hoinar and Mini-Mobra, while the second had only two versions – Carpathians and Carpathians Super.

The Carpathian motorcycle was manufactured between 1959 and 1964. The Carpathian Super model had a 68 cc two-stroke M103 engine developing 3 hp at 5000 rpm. It ran at 55 km/h, and the consumption recorded was 1.8 liters/100 km. It used telescopic rear and front spring suspension, and the brakes were shoe-type. The gearbox had four gears.

Mobra engines were manufactured in the early 70s by the Metrom Brașov company, and assembly was done at the Tohan factory in Zărnești, founded in 1938 as part of the Malaxa industrial group. The name came, of course, from Motociclete Brașov.

The Mobra 50 had a two-stroke single-cylinder, with forced air cooling, developing 4 hp. About the consumption, it is said that it was around 2.5 liters/100 km. The suspension had hydraulic shock absorbers and the gearbox was four-speed. The motorbike also had a saddle for two people and handlebar locks. The purchase price when it was launched on the market in 1971 was approximately 6,000 lei.

The Mobra 50 Super was intended to be the improved version of the Carpathian model, eliminating a number of elements similar to the first model. It was designed with a much simpler design, as the indicators on the front fork and the brake with indicators disappear, but with the same powerful engine.

Advertisement at Mobra 50 PHOTO mobra.ro

The third variant, the Mobra Hoinar, produced between 1986 and 1994, is considered a 100% domestic model. It was launched on the market in 1986, at the price of 11,000 lei, and was intended for both city transport and long journeys.

The forced air cooling system of the engine, specific to the 50 Super model, has been eliminated in the new model. The engine was a two-stroke single-cylinder with a cylinder capacity of 49.6 cc, a higher power of 5 hp, and 8200 rpm. With an autonomy of 450 km and a manual 5-speed gearbox (one step more than the Mobra 50), the Hoinarul reached over 70 km/h.

“Certain death with cobra, but safer with Mobra”

The last model, the Mini-Mobra, was produced from 1976 until the end of the 80s. Mini-Mobra is a sports model, simpler than the original one and in 1981 it was sold for 4,900 lei. A Mobra Hoinar was sold in 2004 at the price of 11.7 million old lei.

Leaving aside a number of inconveniences (limited number of mopeds – reason for which waiting lists were drawn up, noisy engine or limited color palette: orange, bright red or mustard), the ironic comments or jokes that have already entered folklore (“Sure death with cobra, but safer with Mobra”), the beginnings of the “career” of every Romanian motorcyclist were marked by Mobra.

Super refurbished Carpathian motorbike PHOTO mobra.ro

Although the productivity level sometimes reached 3,000 mopeds in a month and, often, the same number of copies were sold, after approximately 40 years of activity, the factory had to stop production, as the engine supplied by the Metrom Brașov company did not correspond European standards. Currently, only one museum exhibit remains at the Zărnești factory.

Mobra models still exist today. Less on the roads, more in private collections. On specialized websites there are many ads for the sale of such motorcycles.